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jake michaels
multiple authors
Melbourne, Australia — elena rybakina has been crowned Australian Open champion after coming from behind to climb to the top with a come-from-behind performance in the deciding set of Saturday evening’s final Arina Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
After splitting the first two sets at Rod Laver Arena, Sabalenka took the decisive lead in the third set when she broke Rybakina for the second time in the match and took a 3–0 lead.
But world number five Rybakina responded by playing five consecutive games to take control. She calmly completed the match with an ace to win her second Grand Slam title, avenging her defeats to Sabalenka in both the 2023 Australian Open and 2021 Wimbledon finals.
After the championship point, the pair hugged each other at the net. Rybakina then clapped the strings of her racket with her left hand and raised her hand triumphantly toward the packed grandstands roaring with joy.
“It’s amazing to hold this trophy,” said Rybakina, who was born in Russia but represents Kazakhstan. “I knew if I got a chance to lead today I had to try some risky shots and just go for it…not wait for any mistakes or long rallies.
“It was tough to come back in the third. I’m glad that being down, I was able to calm myself down, not get frustrated anymore, and just focus on each point and stay close. I’m very happy.”
Saturday’s two-hour and 18-minute final was a story of very narrow margins – as both players ended the night winning exactly 92 points – but Rybakina stepped up at key moments.
Rybakina won 64% of her points with the score locked at 30-30 or 40-40 and 75% of her points when facing break point. She returned 72% of her third set service returns, in contrast to Sabalenka, who managed only 59%.
Another key to Rybakina’s victory was her ability to successfully counter the four-time Grand Slam champion’s combination of power and aggression with her own brand of heavy ballstriking and fearless tennis.
She already signaled her intentions by breaking Sabalenka’s service game with high-risk, high-reward tennis, despite the world No. 1 holding seven of the first eight serves.
It was an approach that carried her through back-and-forth competition and onto the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, presented by 2001 and 2002 Australian Open champion, Jennifer Capriati.
“I played very well until [a] A certain point, and then I couldn’t resist the aggression that she showed on the court today,” said the defeated Sabalenka. “I don’t know if I have any regrets. Maybe I should have tried to be more aggressive on my serve, knowing I had a break and put pressure on him, but he played incredible. She was a better player today.”
The Australian Open title is a wonderful return to the top for Rybakina, who will rise to world No. 3 when the latest WTA rankings come out on Monday.
The 26-year-old Rybakina reached the semi-finals at both the Toronto and Cincinnati WTA 1000 events before becoming champion at the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last year.
Since Wimbledon last year, Rybakina has a tour-best 37-6 record, while her latest win over Sabalenka extended her streak of consecutive wins over top-10-ranked opponents to a career-best 10 matches.
“I always believed that I [could] “To get back to the level I was at,” Rybakina said. “Of course, we all have ups and downs. I think everyone thought that maybe I would never reach a final again or even win a trophy, but it’s all about work.
“When you get some wins, big wins against top players, you start believing more. You become more confident. It was just that way.”
This is Sabalenka’s second consecutive defeat in the Australian Open final. Last year she got upset with the American madison keysThat too in three sets. In each of the last two years, she was crowned champion at Melbourne Park.
Sabalenka had won 12 consecutive matches and 22 consecutive sets at the beginning of the year to reach the 2026 final against Rybakina.
Sabalenka said, “It’s tennis, you know. Today you’re a loser; tomorrow you’re a winner.” “Hopefully I’ll be more winners than losers this season.”
